1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a plating removing apparatus for a three-piece wheel which removes plating of a welding planned portion on a curved outer circumferential surface linked from a superimposed portion of rims to a body part in a three-piece wheel which has an inner rim, an outer rim, and a disk.
2. Background Art
Widely practiced vehicle wheels made of aluminum alloys and other light alloys include a one-piece wheel integrally formed by molding, a two-piece wheel configured by dividing the wheel into two parts that are a rim and a disk, and a three-piece wheel configured by dividing the wheel into three parts that are an inner rim, an outer rim, and a disk. Wheels subjected to a treatment of chromium plating or other plating to enhance their design features are also extensively put into practical use (refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 11-236681).
In general, when a three-piece wheel is fabricated, there is a manufacturing method widely used to form an annular superimposed part that extends to an inner side in the radial direction in both an inner rim and an outer rim, and both of the superimposed portions are stacked together while stacking an outer circumferential part of a disk on this superimposed portion stacked, in which these three parts are tighten with bolts, and the superimposed portion is welded between the inner rim and the outer rim from an outer circumferential side so as to integrate both of the rims airtightly into one.
In addition, in the three-piece wheel, in order to enhance design features, the disk and the outer rim are subjected to a plating treatment while the inner rim having virtually no effect on the design features is subjected to an alumite treatment in place of a plating treatment in order to reduce a manufacturing cost. Furthermore, in order to prevent welding defects among the rims caused by plating or oxide layer, the outer rim is immersed in plating liquid to carry out a plating treatment in a state that a welding planned portion is subjected to masking, or after the plating treatment, plating of the welding planned portion is removed by a manual operation using a portable grinder or the like, or plating of the welding planned portion is removed by cutting in a machine process, while an oxide film of the welding planned portion is removed in the inner rim by a manual operation using, for example, a wire brush or the like.